USPS vs Ebay! Need advice!

Best post on this subject yet!

 

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Well went down there and talked to the guy trying to explain the situation. He claims he doesn't know anything and never received any package. So I called the Post Office again and they told me the mail carrier will go talk to him - maybe he'll change his mind then. I'm guessing he opened the package, saw the coins, and said "Thanks".

 

Hmmm, yes it would be ideal to witness that conversation.

 

Good business practice means making sure the buyer gets the item. If I buy something from amazon, etc, they make sure it arrives. Yes, in this situation, the best thing to do would be to go to your neighbor and as if he got the package, but what if he did not know where it was delivered? And just because something shows "delivered" does not mean the seller is protected. It has to be delivered to the correct address.

 

Unfortunately, I can't say I'm surprised. Hopefully, if the carrier himself/herself confronts him on it, he'll own up.

Since you have done your part, this somehow changes things, but still not to the point where the seller should, in any way, be punished, and not wishing to do so is a credit to your character. It is certainly your choice as to how you wish to proceed; have you been in regular contact with the seller about exactly what (including this update) is going on? Perhaps you mentioned this earlier, but was the package insured? You shouldn't have to eat the entire loss, but neither should he, and even with the understanding that ebay is an entirely different beast (from selling face to face and/or to an established clientele), any seller who genuinely cares will not simply be okay with a customer eating the loss. Of course he may be (understandably) skeptical unless you can prove the package was indeed delivered elsewhere, but even if you cannot, if you've developed a good rapport, perhaps he'll be willing to meet you half way or do something to right the wrong even though he's not at fault.

 

I guess I didn't explain myself to well. When the delivery date was past and my sale didn't even show as shipped, is when I contacted the seller for an update. That's when I didn't get a response. I then filed a case report with eBay. They asked for the 30 day response time for the seller. I contacted the seller again explaining the situation. I told him if he is not shipping my item then I wanted a refund. He said I already filed my complaint and implied he would wait on the settlement. E Bay requests a 30 day period for the seller to enact a settlement. I'm now at two weeks and waiting. It appears the seller is going to wait until the last second to respond. It is his way of getting even although I did him the courtesy and a way of correcting our problem. I was able to purchase this item from him for about $100 under normal cost. I think he realized this and simply won't ship the purchase. I had that and more in reserve behind my bid. Trying to be considerate is why I suggested a refund if he did not want to honor his sale. I told eBay I want nothing to do with this seller. He had more than ample opportunity to amicably solve the problem.

 

As a seller, I would want written proof from the post office before I issued a refund. As a seller who tried to have good customer service, I would issue a $30 refund easily if the buyer provided that proof.

 

That is what I assumed you were saying. I have filed 20 cases (gift cards) and not one of them took over 7 days. You need to find out why you are so special.

BTW, a couple of those were for someone who sent me a blank card. i.e. it was delivered, but I still got my refund. All I had to do was return the card.

 

I contacted the seller yesterday and let him know what was going on - so far no reply. Probably thinks I'm trying to rip him off. I'll know more latter this afternoon when I will see the mailman.

 

In my case, it's the seller delaying the settlement. E Bay won't react until his time period is up. I don't think I'm special, just a situation where someone is taking advantage of the waiting period. I sent him several hundred dollars even with the under bid.

 

And there you go..... notice how you made no mention of ebay or filing a claim; that's key here, and as of yet we don't know how this story ends. We don't know if, when (if?) the carrier actually confronts the recipient, he/she will get the same story as Markus (as he just informed us) did, or if maybe, just maybe, the package will magically appear when questioned. If the guy has any experience with selling coins or the like, he's probably well aware of the lowlife faction regretably involved in this hobby, and is understandably skeptical because of it. I don't recall if Markus said proof is or even could be available to him at this time, so what would you, as an ebay seller, think? Even if said proof cannot be provided, would you not at least want all options exhausted, which is "good business", before considering a refund?

We simply don't know what the outcome will be, and again, because all avenues have yet to be explored, there is absolutely no reason to involve ebay even if the seller shouldered any blame. The guy may very well be willing to eat the entire loss himself - we don't know - but no one can reasonably and rightfully expect him to volunteer it at this point or to do so based solely upon an unknown's word. That would be "bad business".

 

It's all good; sometimes you have to step a little more carefully online to get across the actual point you're trying to make. It's easier - for me and everyone - to overanalyze and see contention where none exists, simply because we can't see each other's body language or hear tone of voice.

If this happened via an online retailer, theythey'd ship you another one (or refund) and take it up with USPS themselves on their time. Such episodes are a cost of business, and the rules do not change because you're some dude selling on Ebay.

 

Ya, I think my comments came out wrong at first. As a seller, I do not like when buyers do not give me a chance to fix a problem before getting ebay involved. However, if a seller is unwilling to fix a problem, ebay will almost always side with the buyer.

 

Here is eBay's rule;
Here's what we found for "Asking eBay to step in"
Once you open a request, the seller has 3 business days to resolve the issue. If you don’t get a response or you can’t work out a satisfactory solution, you can ask eBay to step in within 30 days of the request being opened. Here's how:

1. In the Purchase history page, select the item you have not received.
2. Under More actions, select Ask eBay to step in.
3. We will then review the case and decide on the best outcome within 48 hours.

Remember, if you don't contact us within 30 days of opening the request, we'll assume the issue has been resolved and we'll close the request with no additional action.
http://ocsnext.ebay.com/ocs/sr?&query=2839

If that is the 30 days you are referring to, you best not wait that long. At 30 days and after, you automatically lose.

 

I just file a case and this is the message on the case page;

Hang tight, you should hear back from the seller soon
If you don't hear back by Apr. 26, or if there's a problem, you can ask us to step in and help on that day.

 

Dang, Markus...best of luck

 

Oh well, only out 30$. Talked to the mail carrier today and she said nobody would answer the door when she was there. I must have got him nervous when I went and talked to him earlier. Hope the SOB enjoys his "gift"!

 

Have you contacted the USPS Inspector General?
(Theft of mail is a federal felony)
Local PD? State PD? State's Attorney General?
MAKE LOTS OF NOISE!

 

This.

US Postal Inspector. Get them involved. They are the law enorcement branch of the postal service. Turn up the heat. On both the neighbor and the mail carrier. For all we know maybe she has it and the wrong delivery scan and story is a cover. Most likely not but just in case.

At the very least it might make her pay more attention when she's doing her job and making sure you get your mail.

 

This was my response from eBay as well. It further said: Case pending: Hang on we're still reviewing your case. The case was opened 10 days ago. What and when is my next step?